


The Ties of the Past

by c0nsistentlyinc0nsistent



Series: The Ties that Bind [4]
Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: a lot of this shows bits of Wels' backstory, any potential trigger warnings are listed in the chapter summaries, just a mini side project i did, only if theres anything that needs one though, their character has a lot packed into it that's why
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:41:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26072065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0nsistentlyinc0nsistent/pseuds/c0nsistentlyinc0nsistent
Summary: A bit of a mini side project I messed with for fun :)Little bits of writing giving you little looks at stuff like Wels' past, Cleo's arrival, Tango meeting Zed and Impulse, etc.Also!!! The chapter titles are a hidden message!! :DTried to make the title decent enough while adjusting it to fit the new name of the original story.
Relationships: Any you wanna interpret
Series: The Ties that Bind [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1851628
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. 25152118

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Implied transphobia/misgendering, mentions of dead family members (and mockery of it)

* * *

Knocking gently on the door, Xisuma gave a small sigh.

It didn't bother him too much to fly all the way out here to check up on Wels. He did voluntarily, after all. It won't kill him to make sure everyone is okay. It's part of his job as the 'leader' here.

Besides, Wels is quite a beaten up soul. It just gives him more reason to check up on them considering their past and all that they've been through. No doubt that it's always taking a toll on them. The poor elf's got the weight of a thousand worlds on their shoulders.

He was pulled away from his thoughts when the door opened, but only slightly. Enough for Wels to peek through it at him.

"Hey, Wels," Xisuma said, offering a small smile.

Wels glanced off to the side for a moment before looking back at him. Xisuma noticed they had awful bags under their eyes, and they looked rather weary.

"Um...did you need something, X...?" Wels spoke quietly.

The admin shook his head. "I just wanted to come check up on you. Make sure you're alright, y'know?"

They didn't seem to understand.

"Something tells me you're not alright, though. Is something wrong, Wels?" Xisuma asked, his concern showing a bit.

"M fine," they mumbled. "I thought you had other stuff to work on."

"I have no problem putting aside my work for a moment if you need to talk or anything."

"I..." Wels sighed. "I don't understand it."

Xisuma tilted his head. "What don't you understand?"

"Why you seem to care like that," they replied. "You could just assume I'm alright and move on or just...ignore it."

The admin frowned. "Wels, I care about you because I care about my people here—my friends. Even if you're new and still not as familiar, you're still important."

After a few seconds, Wels closed the door just a bit. "Sorry."

"For what?"

Xisuma's concern only grew when he saw tears forming in their eyes as they seemed a bit deep in thought for a moment.  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_"Aw, is the little Dark Elf gonna cry?"_

_"Look at how weak this stupid kid is, no wonder her parents are gone!"_

_"No one wants you here, you filthy Dark Elf."_

_"Look at you, all you do is cry! You're such a weakling!"_

_"Aww, what are you gonna do, go cry to your dead mommy and daddy and hide behind your stupid dead brother? That's all you ever do! You do nothing but cry like the stupid little girl you are!"_

  
  
  


"Wels...?"

The elf hugged themself tightly as tears streamed down their face.

"...I'm...I'm not used to mattering to anyone..."

* * *


	2. 1920151825

* * *

_"You said you just found her near the ocean?"_

_"Yeah! I almost thought I was imagining things!"_

_"It's already odd how a zombie wasn't burning in the daylight, I'm not sure what to think of it."_

She tried to open her eyes, but they felt heavy. There was an almost blinding light shining over her as she laid on what felt like a bed.

She heard a few voices, but they weren't familiar at all, and neither were the figures standing around her.

"...w..here..."

One of them perked up a bit, glancing over at her.

"Oh, you're awake!" they said excitedly.

"I don't...where am I...?"

"Right now you're in my base, to be specific," another said. "Do you have a name to give us?"

"Uhm...I'm Cleo."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, I suppose. My name is Xisuma—these are a couple of my friends, Stress and Joe."

"What happened to you, luv?" Stress asked, a bit of concern on her face. "I'm not sure if you're supposed to be a zombie like that."

Cleo tilted her head. "Zombie—?"

Taking a quick look at herself, it seemed Stress was right—she was a zombie.

"Wait, I—how—"

"It's a rare occurence, so my guess is that you were somehow infected by a zombie," Joe explained. "And instead of dying, you turned into a zombie instead. It's a bit odd, though—it seems like you're still _'human',_ just...zombified. You just look like a zombie, so I suppose you'd be a hybrid."

Cleo groaned. "I don't understand anything that's going on right now."

"Well," Xisuma sighed. "I suppose you can just stay here. Unless you have some other home elsewhere...?"

She shook her head. "No, I...I was sailing with my crew—that's all I remember."

The admin tilted his head. "Crew?"

"Pirate crew, I presume," Joe said.

"Yeah, that."

"Well, then, you're home can just be here with us!" Stress smiled.

"Wait, but I don't even know where _here_ is!"

Stress' excitement seemed to grow as she took Cleo's hands. "Then I can show you around!"

"To put it simply, though," Xisuma chimed in, a welcoming smile on his face. "This place is called Hermitcraft."

* * *


	3. 919

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions/vague discussion of being tormented (harassed/bullied), mentions of and implied death of a family member, visible emotional burnout/depression

* * *

TFC sighed. "That poor kiddo's been through hell and back multiple times."

Xisuma glanced over at Wels, who was staring blankly out the window. They had their head laid down on the windowsill, their ears drooping as there was empty sorrow in their dulled eyes.

"I can tell," the admin mumbled, looking back at the cup of tea in his hand. "I haven't seen them genuinely cheerful a single minute since they've arrived here."

"It's not surprising to me, as much as I want them to be happier." TFC shook his head. "Orphan at such a young age, losing their brother like that, all those years of being tormented—the poor beaten soul never caught a break, and now I don't know if they'll ever get better."

"I hope they can," Xisuma said, seeming a bit grim. "It's already awful enough being miserable for all those years, their entire childhood and growing up—it'd just be beyond cruel if they had to be miserable their entire life."

"And it would be a very long and cruel one, unfortunately. Elves live for quite a long time—that kid will outlive me three times over—longer, even."

Sighing, TFC stood up, walking over to Wels. He gently rested a hand on their back, glancing at the rain falling outside from the dark sky. Through the gentle rain, he saw a single red flower out in the grass, and it seemed to be what Wels was staring at.

As he moved his arm around their shoulders, Wels leaned their head against him, closing their eyes. He kept his arm around them comfortingly, his hand slowly and soothingly running up and down their upper arm.

"I miss him," they mumbled, a slight whimper in their voice.

TFC sighed bitterly. "I know, kiddo." He moved to pull Wels into a hug as tears fell from their eyes. "I know."

* * *


	4. 141520

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mild depiction of a breakdown

* * *

Looking around, the End island seemed as empty as usual—save for the endermen there.

Xisuma glanced at the note in his hand.

_'Meet me in the End.'_

That was all it said. He didn't know who it was from or what they needed.

Though, one of those questions was answered when he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw a familiar figure standing there—

"Ex?"

Xisuma's eyes widened a bit when Ex wordlessly threw his arms around him. Immediately, he heard the sound of crying as Ex began sobbing into his shoulder.

"Hey," Xisuma said softly, hugging his brother tightly. "Come on, don't cry—"

"I'm sorry," Ex choked out between sobs. "I—I n-ever wanted to h-hurt anyone—"

"It wasn't your fault, everyone knows that," Xisuma soothed. "It's okay. It's over, it's gone, you're okay."

Carefully, Xisuma moved them both down to the ground, sitting on their knees. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around Ex, rubbing small circles in his back.

"Just calm down, okay? Everything is okay. Breathe." 

He continued whispering soothing words to Ex, helping him calm his breathing and reassuring him that everything was okay. Eventually, he got Ex to calm down.

He held his brother comfortingly in his arms, Ex leaning his head against Xisuma's shoulder as he laid against the other's chest.

"Everything's okay," he whispered once more. "You're okay."

Sighing, Ex leaned in closer, closing his eyes. "I love you, brother," he mumbled.

Xisuma smiled gently, leaning his head against Ex's. "I love you too, Xizara."

* * *


	5. 25520

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Labs/scientists, implied murder, blood mentions, depicted fear/paranoia

* * *

Jevin sat on the floor, humming.  
  


He was trying to keep himself as occupied as possible as an attempt to ignore the fear that the scientists would come in and force him under another experiment.

It was a gentle tune, but he didn't know exactly why he knew it. He didn't remember what it was called, or who he learned it from. It just seemed to be there.  
  


He didn't remember anything. All he remembered was that he wasn't always like this. But he didn't know what his name used to be—he assumed it was different than the one he was given—and he didn't know what his home used to look like.  
  


He didn't remember much at all.  
  


Suddenly, his humming stopped short when he heard a loud crashing noise outside the room.

Immediately panicking, he quickly hid underneath the little platform he made his bed on. It was a big difficult to tuck his wings underneath it. 

He tried to stay as quiet as he could, concealing his breathing as much as possible.

He heard screaming and glass breaking—things hitting the walls and floor, and footsteps.

Footsteps approaching his room.

He squeezed his eyes shut, silently praying that someone wasn't coming to hurt him.

_Please go away, just leave me alone..._

He heard the footsteps stop in front of the door.  
  


_Don't hurt me, please, I didn't do anything wrong!_

The door creaked as it swung open.

He couldn't help but cry, as much as he was afraid to.

_Please—_  
  


"Hey, hey—I'm not gonna hurt you, okay?"  
  


"Did you find something, Wels?"

"Over here."

He heard more footsteps coming closer, and he could feel the presence of two people in the room. One was right in front of him, the other nearby.

"It's okay, you can open your eyes. We're not going to hurt you."

Hesitantly, Jevin allowed his eyes to open just a bit before they opened fully.

Kneeling in front of him was someone with long blond hair, and they had pointy ears. They seemed to be wearing armor that had blood spattered all over it.

"You're okay. We're getting you out of here, alright?" They said, keeping their tone gentle. 

Jevin flinched slightly as they extended a hand towards him.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise."  
  


He stared at them for a few seconds before shakily taking their hand. Afterwards, they extended the other, and he took that one as well. They helped him up off the floor, keeping a hand on his back.

"Do you have a name?" they asked.

"J-Jevin," he mumbled.

The other smiled. "My name is Wels. This here is my good friend Biffa."

Looking at the other person, it appeared to be a man in a full robotic suit, a yellow visor flipped up onto his helmet. 

Biffa gave a small wave. "I might seem a bit intimidating right now, but we have no interest in harming you, alright?"

Jevin glanced at Wels before giving a small nod.

"You're gonna be alright," Wels said reassuringly. "No more living in this awful place."

"Where are we going, then...?" Jevin asked quietly.

Biffa smiled. "Back to the others here in hermitcraft."

* * *


	6. 3151316125205

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of being tormented/harassed (physically and verbally), depicted extreme fear, implied discrimination, a lot of crying

* * *

"Come on, Wels. Don't cry."

But even still, the elfling was sobbing as they clung to their brother's shirt. 

Hels sighed, resting his hand gently on their cheek and wiping away some of their tears. "Everything's gonna be okay. I'm here, and I've got you, and I'm never gonna let go of you no matter what."

He wrapped his arms tightly around Wels, rubbing their back soothingly. "It's gonna be okay...they can't hurt us forever. Some day we'll get away from all of this—we'll live somewhere else, and we can be happy..."

He tried to smile, but...he couldn't.

"...maybe..." He shook his head. "No, it _will_ happen. We _will_ get away from here—and I'll protect you no matter what. And when we're out of here, you can keep training, and you can become a knight like you wanted to. And I can watch you get stronger and stronger every day."

They were too young to be dealing with this. He was barely a teenager. Wels was still a young child. Hels was only around 15 years old, and Wels was only 10.

Tears started flowing from Hels' eyes. "We'll be happy...we won't have to hide from everyone...and we won't have to be scared...and I'll be able to see you smile, you'll be happy—you won't cry anymore..."

But just like that, he was crying just like Wels was.

Wels was afraid. They were afraid of everyone else. They were afraid of losing Hels. They were afraid of being hurt again.

And Hels was afraid for them. He was afraid they would get hurt, that he wouldn't be able to protect them.

He wanted to stay strong. He wanted to smile for them, but...

He couldn't.

The reality was, he couldn't.

They couldn't smile. They couldn't be happy. They couldn't roam around freely without feeling afraid that someone would hurt them.

They weren't getting out of here.

* * *


	7. 141518

* * *

As he was flying around, Tango heard something that was...odd.

He followed the sound of a hoard of angry pigmen, which lead him to two people who were up on a lazily built platform.

_"Zed, I told you not to hit the pigmen!"_

_"I didn't mean to!"_

Glancing around, he saw a ghast that also spotted the two. Before it fired, though, Tango quickly flew over to it.

"No no no—you go away. Go, shoo," he said to it, motioning for it to fly elsewhere.

The ghast didn't seem to listen, as it was preparing to shoot at the other two.

Groaning, Tango pulled out a sword and quickly disposed of the creature before flying back over.

"Hey piggies!" he called out, holding up a gold ingot. He watched as all the pigmen turned to him, eyeing the shiny metal as he threw it. "Over there, go get it!"

The pigmen ran over to the ingot, which kept them occupied for long enough.

"You two okay?" he asked, glancing at the two on the platform.

"Yeah, thanks dude," one responded.

"My name's Tango—what about you two?"

"Impulse." the other smiled. "And this is Zedaph."

"Are you a demon?" Zedaph asked, tilting his head.

Tango chucked. "Yeah, but I'm not a big ol meanie like the other ones are. Hell, they outcasted me for that, but I don't need 'em anyway!"

"Well...do you wanna come mining with us?" Impulse offered. "You could at least hang with us till we get back to our portal if you want to."

The demon's tail lashed excitedly as he smiled widely. "Hell yeah I do!"

* * *


	8. 25152118

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Threatening murder, yelling

* * *

"Dammit," Wels hissed, hurrying Jevin along as quickly as they could. "Give me a second." Catching up closer to Biffa, they sort of passed Jevin along to him before stopping.

They quickly turned around and readied their bow, rapidly firing an arrow at nearly all of the few scientists that were chasing after them.

"Wels, come on!" Biffa called to them, rushing Jevin through the exit.

The elf huffed, turning back around and running to the other two.

As they ran out the exit, Wels turned back to the scientists for a moment.

Jevin looked at them in fear as they yelled—

_"IF ANY OF YOU EVER TRY TO HURT HIM, I_ _**WILL KILL YOU,** _ _YOU HEAR ME?!"_

* * *


	9. 1296519

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Lots of screaming/yelling, mentions of murder (+said murder being for the sake of tormenting another), mentions/mild discussion of discrimination, being tormented/harassed, implied deaths

* * *

They sighed gently, eyes locked on the grave that they were sat down in front of.

"If you're not here to kill me already then go away."

The High Elf behind them paused. Wels didn't even need to see her to be disgusted by her pitiful expression.

"Listen, I—"

Wels scowled. "I don't need to listen to anything _you_ have to say."

"Wels, please, I'm sorry—"

"I don't think you should get to say my name." Wels glanced over their shoulder at her. "I don't think you even deserve to be standing near me if you're just gonna be begging for forgiveness."

She frowned. "I'm not looking for you to forgive me—"

"Good, because I'm _not,"_ they spat, their gaze returning to what was in front of them. "Go find something better to do, Elice. Have your little _friends_ go pick on some other Dark Elf, why don't'cha."

"Wels, please, I—I never wanted them to do this, I never told them to—"

"And yet you didn't stop them."

Elice paused as Wels glared at her.

Ashamed, she looked down at the ground and avoided their eyes.

"I...I know, I don't know why I didn't, I just...didn't."

She looked back at Wels when she heard them chuckle.

"You know why you didn't give a shit?" They fully turned around to face her. "Because you people have normalized discrimination so much that it's become a _game_ to you."

"I never thought they would do _this!"_ Elice yelled, gesturing to the grave.

But that only made them more angry.

"Well GUESS _WHAT,"_ they screamed, standing up. "The _world_ warns you about _FUCK ALL._ And it should not take _THIS—"_ they pointed to the grave. "FOR YOU TO _OPEN_ YOUR _GOD DAMN EYES."_

They had tears streaming down their cheeks. "IT SHOULDN'T TAKE THEM _MURDERING MY WIFE_ FOR YOU TO _REALIZE THAT."_

_"I KNOW,"_ Elice cried, lowering her head as her hands tightly gripped her hair.

Wels stood there and watched as she broke out into sobs, small apologies slipping out every now and then.

"You don't deserve to call yourself a High Elf," they mumbled. "You don't _deserve_ that kind of power, you don't _deserve_ to have people at your feet like you're a god. _'Sorry'_ won't bring my brother back. _'Sorry'_ won't bring _her_ back. And it _certainly_ won't undo all the _fucking years_ of trauma and tormenting that you all put me through, and _him_ through, and all the fear your forced onto _her._ _"_

"I—I kn-ow," she choked out.

With a small _'hmph'_ , Wels sat back down, facing the grave. "You're pathetic. Take your pitiful sobbing somewhere else."

And yet she didn't. She remained there, crying and begging for forgiveness.

It was irritating.

"Beg all you want, you're getting nothing from me." They turned to look at her again. "Because you know what?"

As she looked up at them, they pointed to the grave.

_"She_ was begging for her _life,"_ they said angrily. "She was begging for _my_ life. She was begging for them not to _kill her_ just for being mine. And yet your _people_ wanted me to suffer _so much_ that they _killed_ her. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. _JUST TO MAKE ME SUFFER._

"So you don't _fucking_ get forgiveness," they turned away. "if _she_ couldn't even have her _life."_

* * *


	10. 1015211814525

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Implied fear of being harmed

* * *

Jevin."

The half-angel turned around, looking at Wels as they stood in the doorway. 

Their expression seemed grim, yet empty.

Wels approached him, kneeling down in front of him and placing their hands firmly on his shoulders.  
  


"I'm gonna make this clear, alright?" they said sternly, yet their tone was gentle underneath. "I am _not_ going to let _anyone_ hurt you, okay? Especially not those damn scientists, or anyone associated with the nHo. And no way in hell am I ever gonna let Doc lay so much as a _finger_ on you.

"You understand me?"

Jevin nodded, though he was a bit worried.

Wels sighed, pulling him into a gentle hug. "I'm not gonna let _anyone_ hurt you. _Ever._ I'm gonna protect you, and so is Biffa. Don't you _ever_ let _anyone_ think otherwise, and if you ever need help, you can come to either of us."

Slight tears formed in Jevin's eyes as he leaned into the embrace, burying his face in Wels' shoulder as he wrapped his arms around them. 

"Thank you."

* * *


	11. 1522518

* * *

Cleo paused as she heard a rather familiar tune being sang in the distance.

_"Now we are ready_  
_To sail for the horn_  
_Weigh hey, roll and go~!"_

She hesitated a bit before following the voice, hiding behind a nearby tree as she peeked at the source.

_"Our boots and our clothes,_  
_Boys, are all in the pawn_  
_To be rollicking Randy Dandy-O~!"_

Near the shore of the ocean in front of her sat a golden-haired figure in a fitted tank top and sweatpants. She wasn't familiar with them, but they were singing so wonderfully.

_"Heave a pawl, o heave away_  
_Weigh hey, roll and go!_  
_The anchor's on board_  
_And the cable's all stored_  
_To be rollicking Randy Dandy-O~!"_

Smiling, she began singing along with them as she approached them.

**_"Soon we'll be warping her out_ **  
**_Through the locks,_ **  
**_Weigh hey, roll and go!_ **  
**_Where the pretty young girls_ **  
**_All come down in their frocks_ **  
**_To be rollicking Randy Dandy-O~!"_ **

Without stopping their singing, they glanced at Cleo as she came and sat down next to them with a smile.

_**"Heave a pawl, o heave away!** _  
_**Weigh hey, roll and go!** _  
_**The anchor's on board** _  
_**And the cable's all stored** _  
_**To be rollicking Randy Dandy-O~!"** _

Their smile widened as the two sang together.

_**"Come breast the bars,** _  
_**Bullies, heave her away** _  
_**Weigh hey, roll and go!** _  
_**Soon we'll be rolling her** _  
_**Down through the Bay** _  
_**To be rollicking Randy Dandy-O~!"** _

Their voices rang out harmoniously through the dawn as they poured their hearts into their singing.

_**"Heave a pawl, o heave away!** _  
_**Weigh hey, roll and go!** _  
_**The anchor's on board** _  
_**And the cable's all stored** _  
_**To be rollicking Randy Dandy-O~"** _

After a short pause, the other chuckled. There was something about seeing the way their face lit up that made Cleo feel happy.

"Your voice is incredible," she said, her smile widening a bit.

They stared down at their hands as they fidgeted with their thumbs. "Thank you—yours is really good, too."

"I don't think I've ever met you before, what's your name?"

"Wels—I'm a wood elf. Oh, and, um," Cleo tilted her head as Wels shifted a bit nervously for a moment. "I use they/them pronouns."

"Alright!" Cleo's smile returned. "It's real nice to meet you. I'm Cleo."

Wels smiled again. "I don't think I've ever met a zombie that seemed more human."

Cleo snorted. "Well, you can scratch that off the bucket list then."

The elf giggled a bit. "So you like sea shanties too, huh?"

"Of course! I was a pirate," Cleo said, her face lighting up a bit more.

"That must have been a lot of fun."

"It sure was."

Wels looked out at the ocean as the sun made its descent, the water shimmering with the light's reflection as the sky made way for night. "I don't know if I could ever just sail on forever—it would be fun, but I'm not sure I could just do that _forever."_

"It's certainly not a life for everyone," Cleo replied as she looked out at the sunset on the horizon. "But I've seen plenty of beautiful sights out there. There's always so much more to go out there and find."

"I'd probably have a lot of fun with the singing," Wels said, giving a small chuckle.

Cleo gave them a friendly pat on the back. "Well in that case, I might as well make ya my go-to shipmate for sea shanties!"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you decipher the message spelled out by the chapter titles let me know in a comment when you're done :)


End file.
